Sign



Jan; 15, 1929.

M. SEELEN SIGN Filed May 22,. 1926 WERE Z/ 8 7m :7 44 12m MMM J.

Patented Jan. 15, 1929.

UNITED STATES 7 1,699,030 iP ATEN T UFF-l-CE MARK SEELEN, OF CHICAGO,ILLINOIS, ASSIGN OR 7T0 GENERAL OUTDOOR ADVERTIS- me co. Ind, on NEWYORK, n. Y.,

A conronarion on NEW JERSEY.

SIGN.

Application filed May 22, 1926. Serial No. 110,861.

This invention relates to improvements in electrically illuminated signsof the larger, outdoor type, such. as are used on boulevards and on thetops of buildings, and consists of the matters hereinafter described andmore )articularly pointed out in the appended claim. V

The invention relates especially to signs of the kind upon which aredepicted designs which include one or more features represented as inmotion or as containing moving parts. The object of the invention is toproduce a sign of the kind, of cheap and economical construction and inwhich the moving features contained in the subject matter of the designwill be made to appear to move,the illusion of movement being broughtabout by means of devices associated with the electric lamps whichprovide for the illumination of the sign.

The advantages of the invention will ap pear more fully as I proceedwith my specification.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a signcontaining my improvements and showing as the main feature of the matterdepicted thereon, a moving obj ect,1n this case, a railroad train.

Figure 2 is a detail, more or less diagrammatic view, showing on anenlarged scale a part of the front plate of the sign structure with theilluminating lamps, the electric connections and other elements, bywhich the illusion of movement is produced.

Figure 3 is a vertical section through Fig ure 1 in a plane indicated bythe line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure a is a detail vertical sect-ion on an enlarged scale in a planeindicated by the 7 line 44 of Figure 2.

The improved sign includes a suitable frame 10 in which is mounted aface plate 11 of metal or other suitable material, as for example, sheetmetal, and backing member 13 secured to the frame 10 back of said plateand formed to provide an enclosed recess 12 at the rear.

The face plate 11 has depicted upon it in color or otherwise, as may bedesired, a representation of a moving object which is to form a part ofthe advertisement,in this case, an express train. Certain of the mostobvious and dominant of the moving parts of the train, in this case, thewheels of the engine and the connecting rods 14, Well in the immediateforeground, and the long streamer of smoke 15, flowing back from theengine stack 16, are defined by means of stencil openings. :The stencilopenings 17,-

wholly or partly define the rims of the driving wheels of the engine;the stencil openings 18 define the lower parts of the rims of the frontwheels of the engine; and the stencil openings 19 and 20 define thestreamer of smoke or steam trailing back from the engine stack.

The said stencil openings are covered by sheets or panes of translucentglass 21, which glass panes are secured against the back of the saidsheet metal face 11 in any convenient manner and are colored to indicatethe color which the said parts are designed to have. Back of said glasssheets 21 (see Figure 4) are mounted shelves or troughs 22, which areformed to correspond with the openings, the outline of which theyfollow, and which carry lamps 23 symmetrically disposed with referenceto said outline. The several lamps are connected by suitable conductors24 to an electric switch 24* of the general type known as a flasherwhich, in turn, is connected by wires 25 to asuitable source of electriccurrent. I

The lamps of the flasher are so arranged and connected in a familiarmanner, that the several lamps in a channel 22, as for example, thelamps in the channel back of each opening 17 defining the rim of one ofthe driving wheels, will be caused to be illuminated and out out inrapid succession, proceeding from a point on said rim progressively in adirection about said rim back to said point-,-this rapid illuminationand cutting out of the lamps occurring in succession for the severalparts appearing through the openings in the face plate 11 in correlatedrelation to an actual movement of the rotation of the moving parts shownin the picture. As a result, the moving parts are by illusion made toappear to rotate or move in a manner corersponding to the rotation orother movement of the part represented, so that a striking illusion ofmotion is produced in the picture disclosed in the advertisement.

In providing a sign of the kind, it is only necessary to pick out andprovide stencil openings for the moving, obvious and prominent movingparts of the picture displayed in the advertisement, since the illusiononce presented as to said parts, Will be carried to the other parts bythe imagination of the observer Without, the provision of lamps oropenings in the plate for said other parts.

I claim as my invention V In an illuminated sign of the kind described,a body structure including an opaque face plate having depicted thereona design containing one or more features pictorially represented asmoving, said face plate being cut to provide stencil openings outliningthe paths of movementoi the most prominent parts of said movingfeatures, glass panes covering said stencil openings and fixed to saidface plate, said glass panes bearing translucent pictorialrepresentations of the parts of the design at the locations included inand visible at said locations, troughs or houses supported back of saidcasing against said glass panes, said troughs being substantiallyuninterrupted and open throughout their lengths, electric lampssupported by said housings and arranged in lines following the medianlines of said stencil openings, said lamps being Without obstructionsbetween them, electric conductors connected to said lamps, and a flasherconnected to said electric conductors adapted to open and close thecircuits of said lamps in rapid suc cession in conformity to theillusion of movement to be produced by said lamps.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I am mysignature, this 20th day of May, 1926.

1 MARK SEELEN.

